


Unexpected

by Palatinedreams



Series: When Stars Collide [4]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Aphrodisiacs, Awkwardness, Developing Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Gift of Life (Stargate), Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rescue Missions, Wraith Feeding, some kind of aliens made them do it, unexpected side effects of the Gift of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:55:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25556206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palatinedreams/pseuds/Palatinedreams
Summary: Todd is trapped on board the Hive of a queen he wanted to negotiate with, and John decides to come to his rescue.It goes all wrong of course, and the queen starts to feed on John, but Todd forces her to give him back what she's taken. During their escape from the Hive John begins to feel pretty weird, and so he doesn't complain much when Todd brings him to one of his own planets instead of flying back to Atlantis. Todd's foresightedness is a good thing, because John will soon learn why he's feeling so hot and flushed and on edge, and that there's only one way for him to be cured from his special state...
Relationships: John Sheppard/Todd the Wraith
Series: When Stars Collide [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1817311
Comments: 16
Kudos: 80





	1. Another typical rescue mission

**Author's Note:**

> This work is a changed version of the story _**Unexpected Mates**_ I'd once posted under my old account, and the idea to this alternate version didn't leave me alone and simply wanted to be written, so I thought that I'd give it a try. :-)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John learns that Todd is being held captive on another Hive, and he decides to come to his rescue. As always, his rescue mission doesn't quite go as planned, and Todd is not as grateful as John expected him to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to update my other stories, but this changed version of my former work refused to get out of my head again, so here I am, hoping that you'll like it. <33

“You shouldn't have come after me, Sheppard, I had everything under control.” Todd says as they're running to the Dart bay of the Hive.

“You had? Because it sure as hell didn't look like it!” John running beside him gasps, his sidelong glare a mixture of outrage and disbelief. “But yeah, you can thank me later – when we're far away enough from this damn ship. I have a few ideas how you can do that!” he snaps, earning a very strange look from the tall Wraith in return.

Gunfire somewhere behind them makes them run faster, and John wonders briefly why he feels so damn hot all of a sudden. Wraith Hive ships are usually rather cold places, and he's a well-trained solider and running his ten miles every other day, there's no reason for him to feel as hot as he's actually doing after barely more than a few hundred meters, not even with a bunch of furious Wraith in killing mode following in their wake. John has had furious Wraith chasing him through a Hive and wanting to kill him so many times that he has stopped counting them, so this can't be the reason why his heart is hammering so hard and fast in his chest as if it wanted to break through his ribcage.

Nor does it explain why he's sweating like never before and hyperventilating, or why the way to the bay seems to be so much longer than usually.

The Dart bay luckily comes into sight before he can think about his heat and breathing problem more closely though, and he follows Todd to the next Dart and ducks his head to avoid being shot by the unaimed shots out of several Wraith stunners by accident.

“There's no time to beam you into the buffer, Sheppard!” Todd growls when the hatch of the Dart opens at his mental command, and he jumps into the pilot's seat with the practice and ease of someone who's doing that on a regular basis – which makes John wonder how many times Todd's had to escape from Hives in his long life so far.

“There's only one seat!” he shouts back, and Todd lets out another growl.

“I know, Sheppard,” he states, pulling roughly at his arm. John loses his balance and finds himself halfway lying and halfway sitting in Todd's lap in the very next second. The hatch closes with a hiss before he can protest, and the engine starts to howl with the well-known and feared high-pitched noise that alone serves to make John's blood freeze under normal circumstances.

These are not normal circumstances though, and John is still too busied with feeling hot and gasping for breath as if he'd just run a full marathon and not the rather short way from the throne hall to the Dart bay to care about the noises the Dart is making as it takes off and is dashing out of the bay like hell in the very next second, followed by the bright flashes of more untargeted shots.

The air is pressed out of his lungs because of the acceleration, and John's head makes a painful acquaintance with the transparent dome of the hatch. The fright he's getting from this is sending another heatwave through his body, and his lips twist into a grimace of pain and discomfort.

Sitting in Todd's lap and being pressed close against his lean and yet broad torso isn't helping to cool him down again and make him feel less upset and on high alert either, and John is acutely aware of the pair of two strong arms embracing him tightly as the Wraith operates the console in front of John – right where his knees are digging into it because of the far too small space that's left with two adults sitting in the seat instead of just one.

“A little bit crowded here, isn't it?” John gasps, “Wraith Darts don't happen to have air condition perhaps?” He tries to wipe his forehead with his forearm, but he can barely move, and each time he tries to move, his butt is rubbing against Todd's thighs under his armor-like coat and sending an odd tingling through his groin.

John is suddenly really glad that Todd's coat is made of a rather thick material, because it would most likely get really embarrassing otherwise pretty soon. It's also strange that he suddenly begins to feel claustrophobic and wants to rip his clothes from his body so badly, and he shifts his weight in Todd's lap and flinches at the pathetic whine that's escaping his lips when he has nowhere to go, because his head is already banging against the transparent hatch each single damn time when Todd tries to shake their pursuer off with another sudden sideways maneuver.

“Stop moving, Sheppard, I need to focus on our escape,” Todd snarls, “and the air condition is already working. We're surrounded by outer space, really cold outer space, remember? Without air condition, we'd already be frozen to death.”

“But it's so hot! Can't you do anything about the heat?” John complains, swallowing down another whine that's tickling in his throat. He's starting to feel worried about his state, and he tries to recall the last time he's felt like this, but he can't come up with anything resembling what he's going through at the moment.

“I know, John. I'll do my best to bring us out of here as quickly as possible.” Todd says, and his voice sounds soft and sympathetical – as if he knows something John doesn't. Doctors sound like that when they're about to tell their patients that they're going to die from their sickness.

John groans and closes his eyes when a sharp stab of pain is shooting through his abdomen, but he snaps them open right away again because of the pictures he can see before his closed lids whenever he tries to close his eyes and relax.

The red-haired Wraith queen that had trapped Todd and was about to kill him when John entered the throne hall right in time to keep her from doing so.

The reason why John had come to Todd's rescue in the first place. He and his team had been on an off-world mission when he'd heard that Todd was held prisoner on the Hive of a queen he'd wanted to negotiate with to find new allies among his own race. The queen had apparently given orders for a culling of the planet that was the closest to the Hive to refill her cocoons, and John and his teammates had gone through the Stargate to help the settlers on this planet, the concern about Todd's well-being lurking in the back of his mind the whole time.

They'd brought the settlers to the caves where the Darts couldn't reach them with their beams, and the Wraith fortunately hadn't followed them but returned to the Hive shortly afterwards again. Ronon had of course protested when John had decided that he couldn't leave the planet just like that and without at least trying to save Todd, but the dark-haired colonel had ignored Ronon's angry protests and run into the blinding white beam-ray of one of the Darts before the Satedan had been able to stop him.

Making his way to the throne hall unnoticed had been a surprisingly easy task, and John still remembers vividly how both – the queen and Todd – had gaped at him in stunned surprise when he'd appeared in the gloomy throne hall with his gun pointing at the queen in unmistakable threat.

Unfortunately, one of her officers had been there as well, hidden in the shadows behind the throne, and John couldn't shoot the queen and her officer with one shot at the same time. The officer had a stunner, so John shot him first, and when he turned back to the queen, she was standing right in front of him, spitting and hissing into his face and slamming her feeding hand into his chest with a furious scream.

The pain had been as agonizing as John remembered it from the times Todd had fed on him, and he'd felt himself weakening rapidly, but then Todd was there, pressing the stunner against her back and his knife against her throat, ordering her to reverse the process and give back what she'd taken. Knowing that having her throat cut would kill her no matter how freshly fed she was made the queen cooperate and shove back into John what she'd just ripped out of him, and probably even more because John feared that he would burst with too much life and energy if she didn't stop it. The sensation of searing hot life rushing back into him was not at all like it had been when Todd had given him the Gift of Life, equally painfully to the feeding in a strange and pretty scaring way.

Barely able to do more than just keep himself upright, John had watched helplessly how Todd had torn the queen's hand from his chest to pull him out of the throne hall and in the direction of the Dart bay. He'd stumbled after the tall Wraith until his legs had carried his weight again, and now he's sitting in Todd's lap and watching the Spacegate become bigger and bigger as they race towards it and the bubbling event horizon that will help them escape the queen's wrath establishes in a large and bright blue wave.

Todd must have managed to shake their pursuer off for long enough to make it to the gate without being shot, and the familiar sensation of his molecules losing their grip on each other just to be put back in the right order again calms him down a bit. Their dart appears on the other side of the wormhole and spirals into the sky of the unknown planet in a large loop as Todd starts to dial again to reach the next world and hide their traces this way. The world is spinning before John's hurting eyes, and he blinks as the heat becomes worse and he feels like burning from the inside. He soon loses track of how many times Todd dials the gates for other planets, and he's barely awake when the Dart finally lands on a meadow and the tall Commander kills the engine and opens the hatch.

Cool air grazes over John's burning face, and he groans in relief. He doesn't want to move, it's somewhat nice to snuggle against Todd's solid frame, be surrounded by his musky scent, and now that the Dart doesn't move any longer and the hatch is open, he feels less hot and claustrophobic and wants to enjoy the fresh air of the beginning night on his face for a while longer.

The world is beautiful as far as he can see it from his raised seat, and John turns his head and buries his face in the crook of Todd's neck with a displeased growl when the Wraith tries to make him get up on his feet with a gentle shove.

“Don' wanna move,” he objects, and pushes his nose deeper into its hiding place.

“We can't stay here, Sheppard. I need you to move so I can bring you to a safe place,” the Wraith says, the rumble of his multi-toned voice vibrating pleasantly in John's chest.

“This's not Atlantis,” John states the obvious in a slurring voice, and Todd makes a vague sound deep in his throat that tickles at John's lips.

“No, it is not. I reasoned that you would prefer not to be in Atlantis in your current state, Sheppard,” Todd says rather ominously, and John finally raises his head from his shoulder to peer at the Wraith.

“My current state? What ya mean? I'm feeling quite fine.”

Todd sighs. “I'll explain it to you later, Sheppard. Now be good and get up so I can bring you to my people.”

“I'm not going anywhere til you've told me what's going on, Todd!” John snaps, crossing his arms before his chest defiantly.

The Wraith just looks at him, and John gets the impression that he's inwardly rolling his eyes at his antics. “Please, John,” he just says calmly, though, as the reasonable one of the two of them.

They stare at each other, John angrily and mistrustfully, the usually impressive Commander almost pleadingly.

“Your people? More Wraith? I'm not in the mood for more Wraith trying to eat me today. One was already bad enough,” he grumbles, and Todd's face softens.

“I know, John. I'm truly sorry for that, but I didn't ask you to come to my rescue. I was perfectly fine until you came storming into the throne hall with your gun aiming at her. What were you even thinking, Sheppard? You alone against an entire Hive? That was pretty foolhardy – or shall I say foolish – even for your standards.”

John pulls an offended face and glares at the Wraith. “Really, Todd? Well, the next time I'll send her my regards and offers her a napkin so she can wipe her hands when she's finished you.” he snaps indignantly, feeling so hurt about Todd's lack of gratitude that a lump is forming in his throat.

“The queen had no intention feeding on me, Sheppard,” Todd explains, and the moonlight must be playing tricks on him, because John could swear that Todd's face color has darkened a bit. Can Wraith blush? That would be something new. He squeezes his eyes together and gazes attentively at Todd, and the heat comes back and makes sweat break out on his back and his forehead when he becomes aware again how close they actually are.

Todd's sensor pits flare ever so slightly, and he inhales the air in a deep breath. He's probably disgusted by his strong smell of human sweat, John thinks.

“Your hands were tied, and she'd opened your coat and was about to tear your shirt into two halves when I entered the throne hall! What the hell was she doing if not preparing to feed on you?!”

The Wraith shifts beneath him, and something pokes against John's left butt cheek. John frowns, but Todd's next words distract him from the odd sensation and what it implies.

“She wanted to test my... qualities and... my... worthiness, Sheppard.” Todd is not looking at him, staring at a point somewhere behind John's shoulder.

“Your 'qualities'?!” John echoes in shock, and he really has no clue what this is all about and what the Wraith is trying to tell him. “What the hell do you mean with that again?!”

“Please, Sheppard, can you please stop asking questions and let me bring you to a place where you'll be... more comfortable?” Todd sighs, still refusing to look at him.

John must admit that his crouched position is really getting uncomfortable, despite the fact that Todd makes for a really nice pillow.

“No Wraith where we'll go?” he makes sure, and Todd nods his head and finally turns his head to glance at him from the side.

“No Wraith, John, I promise you.”

“Okay, then. I'd actually be grateful for a place more comfortable than a Wraith Dart. And some cool and fresh water would be nice, a cold shower, maybe. Is there a shower where we're going?” the dark-haired colonel wants to know with a hopeful expression on his face, and Todd gives him another strange look.

“We'll see, Sheppard,” the Wraith says vaguely, pushing against his back again, and John finally struggles to his feet and climbs out of the Dart gingerly.

Todd follows him with much more elegance, stepping beside him and taking his arm to steady him. For once John doesn't protest but accepts the support without arguing, and he follows the Wraith over the clearing and onto a path that will hopefully lead them to a place where he'll get some water to drink and some to wash off the sweat. He feels tired and on edge at the same time, as if his senses had heightened in some weird way. He's so thirsty and dizzy that all he wants to do is lie down and rest his aching body, but at the same time he's painfully aware of the alien male walking so close to him, of Todd's strong and unyielding body, his musky scent and his overwhelming presence. He rubs his eyes because the pale moonlight seems to be as bright as the midday sun, and he swallows against the dryness in his throat.

“How far is it, Todd?” he croaks out, and Todd gently squeezes his arm, his gaze directed at the dark path in front of him.

“Not far, Sheppard, barely a mile,” he says, and John nods and sighs. They walk for the rest of the way in silence, the human colonel and the ancient Wraith Commander, and John wonders briefly when he's started to enjoy Todd's company as much as he's actually doing.


	2. Just another typical first encounter in Pegasus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot about Wraith and Todd himself the Commander has never told John, and Aigle is one of these things. No wonder his first encounter with her doesn't go smoothly because of the current delicate state John finds himself in after his encounter with the queen on board the Hive...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _Aigle_ , Greek: one of the three daughters of the Greek god of the sun _Helios_ , it's meaning is 'glow', 'shine'. I thought this to be a good name for my special original female character.
> 
> Aigle wasn't supposed to be like she actually is, she was supposed just to be a truly random and unimportant side character, and this whole chapter turned out totally different from what I'd first planned. I hope that it's still a good one. There has been hardly any feedback to my last updates, and some kudos and comments would really make me very happy, so if you like this story, please let me know and give me something back. <33

The distance to their destination is barely more than a mile, and Todd has crossed it countless times in his very long life, but it has never appeared to be as long as it seems to be tonight.

The human walking beside him is gasping and quietly groaning, grumbling to himself all of the time as they're trudging through the long grass, and it irritates and worries the ancient Commander much more than he would usually care to admit. One thing he has always appreciated about Colonel John Sheppard is that the man with the messy dark hair and the beautiful hazel-green eyes usually knows when to keep his mouth shut, and that he's constantly making noise now and talking without pausing tells the Wraith a lot about the dire state the human finds himself in so unexpectedly.

Todd suppresses an annoyed sigh of his own when John lets out another groan, and he shoots his companion a furtive sidelong glance, catching him just in time before the human soldier stumbling along the overgrown path can make a painful and embarrassing acquaintance with the hard ground. The Wraith is torn between feeling angry at Sheppard because he came after him and caused such trouble – again – and being mad and furious about himself because he didn't stop his human brother – or the queen – before things went out of hand and straight downhill so badly.

He's not quite sure how he could have avoided anything of this to happen in the first place, but one thing he's fairly certain of; namely that Sheppard will blame him for everything once more when he's sober and reasonable again like he's always doing it when something bad or unexpected is happening to him and Todd has the misfortune to be around at the same time. Above all of that the damage will be too big this time to undo it with some calming and apologetic words and explanations again, and the crews of the powerful Wraith faction of the queen he was in the middle of fruitful negotiations with will probably start firing at him the next time he merely comes in sight with one of his own Hives.

“You said not more than a mile, Todd!” Sheppard's voice is whiny like that of a child, breaking in on his grave and troubled thoughts, and an annoyed hiss escapes his gray lips that makes the human startle away from him with wide eyes and equally shocked and hurt surprise written all over his face.

The Wraith inhales a deep breath and schools his features back into a mask of sympathy. It's not John's fault that he didn't know what was actually going on. There are so many things the colonel and his expedition team still don't know about Wraith, and Todd was always fine with keeping him in the dark about most of these things, so if John wants to blame him this time, he'll actually be right in doing so, and Todd is honest enough to acknowledge this unwelcome but important truth.

“We're almost there, Sheppard,” he soothes him, keeping his voice low, and he takes John's elbow, even though the man of course struggles and tries to pull out of his grip. Todd takes another deep breath because they really have no more time left to waste for Sheppard's antics, and Todd needs him to be safe and as comfortable as possible before things will get worse than they already are. The cool night air is heavy with pheromones, the musky fragrance of human arousal and desire mingling together with the sharp and acid stench of Sheppard's sudden fear to something foul and sour that almost makes the proud ancient Commander gag.

They need to find shelter, and soon, that much is clear.

“I'm sorry, it wasn't my intention to scare you,” he rumbles as non threateningly and friendlily as he's able to do, and the Wraith has to suppress an amused laughter when the ruffled human lifts his chin up and does his best to glare defiantly at him as he exclaims indignantly:

“I'm not scared! You're the leas' 'cary Wraith I've e'er met!”

His scent betrays his words, though, giving his true feelings away so clearly, but Todd won't argue with him about that here and now and simply inclines his head in acknowledgment of his severe mistake.

“Of course, Sheppard. Please accept my sincerest apologies for having misjudged your reaction so terribly wrong. Can we proceed now?”

Sheppard is still busied with glaring at him, but thankfully lets himself be pulled along the path without any further protest after another minute or so, and Todd feels utter relief when the tiny orange glow he's noticed and followed for a while now becomes bigger to finally reveal the rather small square of an illuminated window that belongs to a two-story half-timber house. Sheppard is too occupied with himself to notice the house until they've actually reached the wooden entrance and lets out a surprised growl when Todd pulls at his arm to stop him before he bumps right into the closed door and hits his head on the hard oak wood.

“Someon's livin' 'ere in 'e middl' of nowhere!” he wonders, his voice slurring again, and Todd gently pushes him to the side to knock at the door and announce their arrival to the person calling this house their own.

Long, long long, short, long, short, long, short, short, short, long, short, and then the same backwards, two times.

“Yes, Sheppard, someone is living here.” he says when he's finished. All he can do now is wait for the owner to let them in and offer them shelter and hope that he'll be able to help Sheppard through the next hours without damaging their complicated hate-enemies-reluctant-allies-sometimes-perhaps-even-friends-relationship beyond repair.

“Ya know 'em. This's a code.” John's face is partly hidden in the shadows of the dark night, but Todd's good night vision allows him to detect the heat coloring his cheeks, and he can feel the feverish body-heat radiating from the human in strong waves seep through his thick Wraith coat.

“Yes, I know the one who's living here, Sheppard. We'll be safe here until you'll feel better again.”

“So hot! 'm so hot! What did ya do to me?” the hazel-eyed colonel demands to know, the whites of his eyes glittering in the darkness. His pupils are big and dark rounds, the hazel-green irises hardly visible any longer.

“I did nothing to you, Sheppard, and I will explain everything to you when we're inside.” Todd raises his hand to repeat the secret knock, but there are light footsteps becoming audible on the other side of the door right when he lifts his clawed hand, and in the next second, it moves backwards into the house to reveal a stripe of flickering yellow-orange candlelight falling through the small opening.

A humanoid figure is blocking the way inside, though, rather tall, of slender shape and not more than just a dark shadow against the illuminated interior. They move and lift one of their arms in warning, and John stumbles back with another sound of startled surprise when the golden glow shines onto something silvery and sparkling, the sharp blade of a long dagger the silent figure is holding in one hand.

Todd catches him by his shoulders and finally allows himself to reach out with his mental feelers and touch the familiar mind when he says out loud for the head-blind human's sake:

“It is always a pleasure to visit you, Aigle. I have brought someone with me, and we need shelter for the night and probably also most of the following day.”

The woman and rightful owner of the neat house bows her head and steps aside to let him and his companion pass over the threshold and enter the house.

“You know that you are always welcome here, Commander,” she says as she allows the mental contact he's asking for and their minds brush against each other, becoming one single thought for a precious moment when he opens up to her; and it helps him with calming himself down enough before she withdraws again, careful and gentle enough that it doesn't feel like a rejection. Todd's head yet feels too empty when he's alone with himself again, and he has to fight against a sudden dizziness for a few seconds when they exchange a long and quiet glance, but it's Sheppard's violent reaction to the woman which makes him gather his composure and focus on his human companion quickly again.

“You said NO Wraith where we go!!!” John cries out angrily as he stares at Aigle, and the shock and feeling of betrayal he's experiencing at the unexpected sight in front of him seems to cut through the fog and heat which are clouding his mind and make him forget his discomfort for the moment, because he tries to retreat to the door hurriedly and leave the house instantly again when he realizes who their host actually is.

The woman puts the dagger back into the sheath that is attached to the belt around her waist and raises both of her arms with her unmarred palms turned outwards and in Sheppard's direction so he can see that she doesn't possess anything resembling a feeding slit in either of her hands.

“I am not Wraith, Colonel Sheppard. I am Aigle, and you are safe here. No harm will come to you in my house.”

Todd puts a gentle but firm hand on John's back in the middle between his shoulder blades to keep him in place and from running away.

“Aigle is telling the truth, Sheppard, and I did the same. She is a friend, you can trust her.”

The hazel-eyed colonel stares at the woman silently to regard her and take in the view of her long silver-blond hair, cascading down to her waist in soft waves, and the delicate features with the for a full human yet too prominent light blond brows, the creamy-white skin with the bluish undertone and the small slits beside her nose. They are smaller than those of a Wraith, and the pupils of her golden eyes are not slotted, her cheekbones dominating her beautiful face like it's typical for Todd's own kin.

Aigle is clearly human and yet she's so different from any other human woman the colonel has ever encountered, and Todd knows that he should have told John where he actually wanted to take him, but didn't for obvious reasons and because there simply wasn't enough time to do that with half of the queen's furious crew pursuing and wanting to kill them.

The Wraith watches John's jaw work and how he struggles to keep his shoulders from slumping with the exhaustion he must be feeling despite the adrenaline and all the other hormones flooding his system.

“Well, you surely look like one of these fucking vampires!” the man standing beside him growls, and that he's lacking the usual politeness he's displaying even in front of Wraith queens to some extent under 'normal' circumstances – or when it comes to Larrin from the Travelers – is a clear evidence how far the human is gone due to what the Gift of Life he received from the queen is doing to him.

Aigle meets Sheppard's eyes with a stoic calm that only comes with years of experience and training.

“My appearance might not be what you expected, Colonel Sheppard, but it doesn't change that you're safe and welcome here.” She assures him, and Todd moves closer to the confused and angry human to make sure that he won't do anything stupid and tries to guide him in the direction of the stairs.

Of course, Sheppard proves himself to be as stubborn as always and refuses to move, staying where he is standing in the middle of the hallway that opens to the largest room and center of the house, which serves as a dining and living room and office all at once. Todd can see that Aigle has been busied before he knocked at her door, probably with searching for cures and treatments in the old books that are covering the heavy wooden desk that is occupying the wall opposite the entrance.

“You called me Colonel Sheppard – _before_ Todd mentioned my name, I mean,” Sheppard accuses her, proving that he's still wary and attentive - a true soldier - even when he's halfway out of his mind, and Aigle smiles at him, unfazed by his impolite and rude demeanor. His voice has lost the slurring tone and his gaze is sharp and focused, but his face is still unnaturally red and flushed, Todd can see the small droplets of sweat shimmering on his forehead and which are dampening his dark hair. Heat is still radiating from him like from a furnace, and Todd knows that his state will get worse before it'll get better again, and that he needs Sheppard to be in a room where they will have their privacy as soon as possible.

Aigle exchanges another quick glance of silent understanding with him, and Todd is deeply grateful that she doesn't have other guests or patients to tend to at the moment. He hadn't thought that they would be this lucky when he came here, and he hopes that they will be her only guests until his stubborn human can think straight again for longer than just a few minutes.

“The Commander is a regular and welcome visitor, Colonel Sheppard. He has talked about you beforehand on some occasions when he came here. Apart from that, you must be aware that your reputation precedes you. You are well known in Pegasus,” she says with a tilt of her head as she beckons them to take the stair leading to the first floor with a natural grace that betrays the Wraith half of her origin.

“But there will be time for you to learn more about me and my friendship with the Commander when you have rested, Colonel Sheppard,” she continues to explain, and John looks still mistrustful but nods his head. “My house is your house for as long as you wish to stay here, so please allow the Commander to bring you to the guestroom suite where you will be more comfortable. I shall bring you a tray with food and water and what else you will need during your stay at once.”

John presses his lips to a thin line, and he glares at Todd, but the effect is diminished when another wave of hot and painful desire hits him and makes him groan. He's really doing well considering that he's human and not Wraith and that he must have gotten a pretty large dose of the queen's hormones when she returned his life to him and also gave him some of her own on top of that, but it won't take long until he won't be able to fight against the urge raging inside his body any longer, and Todd really needs Sheppard to be safe and sound in a room where they will be alone and undisturbed when it happens.

“Thank you, Aigle, I am indebted to you for this,” he murmurs, and she gifts him with a brief smile that is honest and blinding in its beauty.

“You don't owe me anything, Commander, and you know that. It is me who has to thank you. Please bring him to the largest guestroom at the end of the corridor, you will have the privacy you need there. I'll let you know when I put the tray before the door, and I will see to you not being disturbed by any other guest or patient until Colonel Sheppard will feel better again.”

Todd returns her smile and bends forward to lean their foreheads together for two or three seconds. Aigle senses his despair and brushes against his mind with her own once to offer comfort and reassurance, and the ancient Commander finally dares to relax his tense muscles.

“Get away from him, he's MINE!” Sheppard's irate roar thunders through the hallway and right through Todd's peace and quiet, and he and Aigle literally jump away from each other.

The human has balled his fists, glowing with anger and invading Aigle's personal space. “Don't you touch what's MINE!” the colonel snarls dangerously, his teeth bared and his eyes spitting green fire at her. Todd tries to step in between them, but his human growls at him, and the Wraith knows better than to provoke him and rile him up any further.

He and Aigle exchange another glance.

“It's pretty bad, you'll better bring him to guestroom, Commander,” she says, and Todd knows that she's right.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments as kind feedback would really be lovely and make me happy. <33


End file.
